The present invention relates generally to drop leaf supports used to support and hold in position extension leaves of tables, wall mounts, etc. Leaf supports are used to selectively retain, for example, a table drop leaf in the same plane as the table and/or cause the leaf to be pivoted and "drop" in a position away from the plane of the table making the table smaller in size. More specifically, the present invention relates to a safety apparatus for use in conjunction with a drop leaf support whereby the leaf support may easily be grasped and pushed or pulled causing it to pivot along with the table leaf or wall mount. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an apparatus for covering the leaf support hinged opening or pinch point for helping prevent the accidental pinching of one's fingers during operation of the leaf support.
Drop leaves and wall mounts, etc., are generally pivotally connected to the end of a table or to a wall so as to be selectively pivoted between an in use position and a storage position. For example, a table drop leaf is generally pivoted between an in use horizontal position and a vertical storage position.
Leaf supports of various types are used for selectively placing and retaining the leaves of tables and wall mounts in their in use position. One such leaf support used with tables includes a cantilever slidingly mounted on the underside of the table and adapted to slide outwardly and underneath the drop leaf after the drop leaf has been pivoted in its in use horizontal position.
Another type of leaf support and to which the present invention pertains, includes a first arm pivotally connected to the leaf of, for example, a table and a second arm pivotally connected to the table at a location below the table top. Further, the two arms are pivotally connected to one another so that when the two arms are both longitudinally arranged with respect to one another and form a substantially straight line, the table drop leaf is retained in its in use horizontal position by the support. In essence, the support acts as a brace situated at an angle below the table drop leaf. Further, the drop leaf is placed in its storage position by "breaking" the support and causing the two arms to pivot with respect to one another downwardly and in a position almost parallel to one another.
The two arms can be elongate channel shaped so that the two arms can be pivotally connected together at the walls of the channels and above the bottom of the channel. A tension spring is situated within the channel, one end being connected to one arm and the other connected to the other arm. When the arms are situated longitudinally with respect to one another, the tension spring is located between the bottom of the channel and the pivot point between the two arms and, thus, retains the arms in that position. The "breaking" of the support requires a force substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal arms causing the spring to be placed in greater tension until after the spring passes the pivot axis between the two arms and its two connecting ends begin to get closer to one another as the arms are pivoted further and the leaf placed closer to its storage position.
When placing the drop leaf back in its in use horizontal position, the two arms are pivoted with respect to one another and toward the position where both arms are longitudinal with respect to one another. However, as the two arms are pivoted in this fashion, what is commonly known as a "alligator mouth" or a "pinch point" is formed between the ends of the channels and below the pivot axis of the two arms. Should one's fingers become caught in this "alligator mouth", they will, in all likelihood, become pinched and potentially cause the user of the drop leaf support great pain. The possibility of one's fingers becoming pinched is increased when a spring is used because, as the arms reach their longitudinal position after the spring passes the pivot axis between the arms and before the arms reach their final longitudinal position, the spring causes the support arms to snap or quickly move toward and into their respective longitudinal position.
In the past, various means have been devised for helping to prevent one's fingers from being pinched while operating a leaf support of this character. For example, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,835,522 and 1,918,040 along with British patent No. 769,119, finger gripping portions have been rigidly attached to an arm of the leaf support for gripping while placing the leaf support in its in use or storage position. However, these finger gripping portions fail to effectively cover the pinch point while being operated and, thus, one's finger or thumb situated near the finger gripping portion may still become caught and pinched. Further, one's fingers could readily slip off the gripping portion and into the "alligator mouth" or "pinch point".
Accordingly, a need still exists for a leaf support employing a means through which one's fingers and thumb are substantially prevented from being pinched during the operation of the leaf support and, further, employing a means whereby the leaf support can be more rigidly gripped for preventing the accidental slipping of one's fingers or thumb into the pinch point.